Sleep inducing heating pad



p 1 963 R. T. CHADNER 3,103,219

SLEEP INDUCING HEATING PAD Filed July 27, 1961 30 Filler Foam Rubber Ric/24rd 7f Chad/yer INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,103,219 SLEEP INDUCING HEATING PAD Richard T. Chaduer, W. 360 Fillmore St Elmhurst, Ill. Filed July 27, 1961, Ser. No; 127,363

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-399 This invention Comprises a novel and useful sleep inducing heating pad and more particularly pertains to a means and a method to assist in inducing sleep.

The primary purpose of this invention is to provide a means and a method which will in a soothing and restful manner and purely byphysicalme'ans be effective to induce sleep in a person. -I-have found that the application of heat to the upper portion of the trapezius muscle at the region between the over-hangof the headand the upward portion of the backof the neck is especially res-t- I ful and relaxing to the nerves and muscles of the body and is highlyelfective to produce and induce sleep and relaxation in a person. The present invention makes use of this knowledge byproviding a means for applying heat in a localized manner to this specific portion of the body while comfortably and resiliently supporting the same. v a

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a device and a method for effectively inducing sleep in a person thereby obviating the use of drugs or other means. 1

Still another purpose of the invention is to provide a heating pad especially contoured and adapted to comfortably' engage, support and apply heat to the "desired region of the body.

Yet another purpose of the invention is to provide a sleep inducing heating pad of an inexpensive yet durable construction and yet which will efiiciently and effectively resiliently support and cushion the upper neck and lower head portion of a person while applying heat locally to able material such -asa plastic or the like as at 30 to 3,103,219 Patented Sept. 1-0, 1963 ice.

The heatingpad 10, referring chiefly to FIGURE 4, comprises a cushioning body consisting of abase member 12 of asuitable yieldable cushioning material such as foam rubber or the like and which preferably has a flat or planar'bottom surface 14- together with a curving contoured top surface 16. Resting upon the base member 12 is a block ofmaterial comprising a filler-'18 which likewise may be of any suitable resilient: material butwhich preferably also is of a sutliciently heat conductive. nature to perform its intended purposes. The bottom surface of the filler 18, indicated by the numeral "is contoured'to conform to that of the top surface 16 of the base member 12 so that the filler may seat. snugly there-' upon. As shown in FIGURE 4, at itsupper or forward portion 22, the base member 12 has an upstanding pr-ojection 2-4 so that there is defined a recess pocket or seat 26 between this-projection and the top surface 20. The corresponding" upper or forwardportion of the filler 18 as shownat 28 is received .in thisxpocketor seat so as to 'thusfirrnly anchor the filler in place. If desired, ce'mentitiousk material or other means may be provided for bonding or otherwise fixedly. securing-the adjacent surface 20 and 16 of the filler 18,'and the base member 12 together.- waterproof covering such ascanvas or any otherjsuitenclose the two members 1-2 and 18 and secure them firmly together into a unitary assembly.

Referring nowespecially to FIGURE 2 in comuhction I with FIGURE 4, it will be observed that the top surface 40 of the unitary pad 10 is provided with a centrally depressed longitudinally extending trough or recess 42 there- 1 in with a pair of side walls 44 and 46 bounding ordefinboth sides and the back of the lower portion of the head 7 at its junction with the upper portion of the neck and to the trapezius muscles thereof.

A still further purpose of the invention is to provide a heating pad in accordance with the foregoing objects which will be effective to resiliently cushion andsupport substantially the entire rear surface of the neck and while so supporting the neck will apply heat locally to the rear of the head and the sides thereof at the adjacent trapezius muscles.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike' the heating pad taken substantially upon the plane indicated by section line *44 of FIGURE 3.

The sleep inducing heating pad in accordance with this invention is designated generally by the'numeral 10 in the accompanying drawings and is shown in FIGURE l in its applied position to resiliently cushion and support the neck of a person and apply heat to the trapezius muscles at the lower rear part of the headat the junction of the latter with the neck.

ing this trough. Further, as will be best apparent from FIGURE 4, the bottom of the trough 42 has a convexly curved surface 50 extending longitudinally of the body from what may be termed the lower or rear end of the body beyond or forwardly of its intermediate portion. The forward portion of thebody is a concavely curved surface as at 52 and these two surfaces meet along a ridge 54 which ridge extends transversely of the body. The proportions are such that the surface 50 is adapted to conform to the concavely arched portion 60 of the neck of a person as shown in FIGURE 1, while the concave recess 52 in turn is adapted to conform tothe convexly shaped portion 62 below the bulge of the head.

Both the transverse curvature of the surfaces 44 and 46 as was the longitudinal curvature of the surfaces 50 and 52- are shaped to conform as closely as possible to the contour of the body so that the device when placed in position as shown in FIGURE 1 will be inserted below the upper portion of the neck and the lower portion of the head and when so placed will firmly but yieldably cushion and support the neck and head in a comfortable position. I

Embedded in the filler 18 beneath the concave surface 52 is a heating means 70 which although capable of various forms is particularly suitably formed by heating elements 72 which are embedded in the material of the filler and which are supplied with electric current as by -a conventional cable 74 having a detachable coupling 76, a thermostatic control or the like 78 and a plug 80 I for connecting it to any suitable source of electric current.

It is of particular importance that the heating filament 72 of the heating means 70' shall be disposed solely and entirely beneath the concave portion 62 of the lower portion of the head and above its junction with the neck and at the area of the trapezius muscle. Thus, the heating effect is confined to and is more specifically directed to this particular area of the body which has been :found to be extremely responsive to heating for inducing sleep.

It is preferred, however, to provide a principles of the invention.

The oppositely inclined" surfaces 44 and 46 serve' to center and position the head upon the pad,,.while the ridge 54 serves to properly locate the pad so that the heating element thereof will be disposed properly with respect to the side and rear portions atthe lower-portion said'body havingits upper surface transversely coneaved and longitudinally convexed and contoured and depressed to conform to the shape ofthe back of the lower head .and upper neck and the upper trapezius muscle oi a person :for snugly and comfortably supporting the latter when in a reclining position, heating means disposed in said body ink'position for supplying heat to said upper surface, saidbody having its top surface depressed to form a generallyv V-sha'ped trough for receiving and centering a persons neck therein, said trough having a i transverse} ridge intermediate its ends, said trough having longitudinally convexly curved portions fromsaid ridge towards. its opposite ends, said heating means being disposed entirely on one side of said ridge and beneathone :of said convexly curved portions wherebysaid heating means may be disposed at the region of the upper trapezius *muscle and beneath the rearward bulge of the head.

' 2. The combination of claim wherein saidheating rneanscon iprises an elongated \heating element, said heatingv element extending transversely of said trough for partially embracing the backand both sides of the neck of a person. I

3. The combination of claim l wherein: said body in- 1 surface of said body anda covering enclosing said base I 15 A sleep inducingheating pad comprising a pillowlikecushioning 'body of a' resiliently yieldable nature,

member and said filler. I

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said heating means is disposed entirely within said filler.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES" PATENTS 1,244,715 Dozieret a1 Oct. 30, 1917 1,881,198 Kirk Oct. 4, 11932 1,898,272 Sters -1, Feb. 21, 1933 ,984,520 Curtis Dec. 18, 1934 2,082,468 Pupier June 1, 1937 2,185,692 McCleary Ian. 2, 1940 2,376,902 Clark May 29, 1945 2,466,054 Siebel g -1- Apr. 5, 1949 2,481,050 Starnes Sept. 6, 1949 2,509,086 Eaton May 23, 1950 2,558,105 Schinman June 26, 1951 2,718,565 Hariu Sept. 20, 1955 2,718,584 Hariu Sept. 20, 1955 2,889,445 Wolf June 2, 1959 2,986,140 Gardner et a1 May 30, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 490,233 GreatBritain a Aug. 11, 1938 L-owder Aug. 8, 1916 i 

1. A SLEEP INDUCING HEATING PAD COMPRISING A PILLOWLIKE CUSHIONING BODY OF A RESILIENTLY YIELDABLE NATURE, SAID BODY HAVING ITS UPPER SURFACE TRANSVERSELY CONCAVED AND LONGITUDINALLY CONVEXED AND CONTOURED AND DEPRESSED TO CONFORM TO THE SHAPE OF THE BACK OF THE LOWER HEAD AND UPPER NECK AND THE UPPER TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE OF A PERSON FOR SNUGLY AND COMFORTABLY SUPPORTING THE LATTER WHEN IN A RECLINING POSITION, HEATING MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID BODY IN POSITION FOR SUPPLYING HEAT TO SAID UPPER SURFACE, SAID BODY HAVING ITS TOP SURFACE DEPRESSED TO FORM A GENERALLY V-SHAPED TROUGH FOR RECEIVING AND CENTERING A PERSON''S NECK THEREIN, SAID TROUGH HAVING A TRANSVERSE RIDGE INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, SAID TROUGH HAVING LONGITUDINALLY CONVEXLY CURVED PORTIONS FROM SAID RIDGE TOWARDS ITS OPPOSITE ENDS, SAID HEATING MEANS BEING DIS- 